Yin Yang Shadows 2
by Pharaohyamifan
Summary: A new foe presents new problems for the Yin Yang Shadows; one they seem to have no way of defeating. Is there anything they can do? And what will it take to stop the evil this time?
1. Chapter 1

**Pharaohyamifan: Guess who's back! (Gets hit by rock) Hey!**

**Shadow: Took you long enough! Where were you!?**

**Pharaohyamifan: I've been on a major writer's block, do you mind?**

**Shadow, Light and Basset: YES!**

**Pharaohyamifan: (Ducks) Okay, okay! I'm sorry this sequal took so long to come up! I wasnt sure what to do, kicking around some ideas and stuff. I finally managed to come up with an idea! On a quick note, this fic is gonna take a long time to go through, and not just because I'm gonna make it pretty big. I've been getting writer's blocks for months now and they still pop up.**

**Shadow: So that means you're gonna take forever on this, right?**

**Pharaohyamifan: I'm trying, okay? I'm gonna update this as soon as possible, hopefully on a weekly basis, but I can't promise anything.**

**Light: By the way, didn't that new spin-off show up this year?**

**Pharaohyamifan: Yeah, it's called Yu-Gi-Oh 5D and from what I've seen it's pretty good. They duel on motorbikes, which seemed wierd at first but I like it. My friends don't like it, though, but I don't care! I'm actually coming up with a few ideas for that, too!**

**Shadow: Oh, brother! I know you don't like GX so much, but can you at least put this story up first?**

**Pharaohyamifan: Yeah, I'll try. I might put up a one-shot for 5D, but I'm gonna focus on this. Who knows, maybe I'll cross it with this story...**

**Shadow and Light: WHAT!?**

**Pharaohyamifan: Don't count on it! There isnt enough info on them for me to do something like that right now, but you never know. Actually, I just came up with an idea...**

**Basset: Uh, guys, I think the readers are getting bored.**

**Pharaohyamifan: Oh, right! Sorry! Well, let's see here... this is the sequal to my first fic Yin Yang Shadows, so before you read this, you got to read that or this one won't make any sense.**

**Light: Like you make any sense in the first place...**

**Pharaohyamifan: ANYWAY (Glares) Here's the fic! Welcome to Yin Yang Shadows 2!**

**Yin Yang Shadows 2**

**Summery: A new foe presents new problems for the Yin Yang Shadows; one they seem to have no way of defeating. Is there anything they can do? And what will it take to stop the evil this time?**

**Rating: K+ Note: The rating may change if things get too rough in here.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Yu-Gi-Oh related, or anything that gives me ideas during this fic. They have their own owners and copyrights, and I am not claiming them for my own - Though that can't stop me from wanting them. Anyway, the storyline belongs to me, but I will put disclaimers at the bottom of the chapters if there's something I've borrowed from somewhere else (Like when I borrowed scenes from Spiderman for Yin Yang Shadows, which I did disclaim at the time.) Okay, I think that's it... Let's get on with it!**

**Chapter One: From Where We Left Off**

Domino City. Usually on a night like this the city would be quiet and serene, peaceful and calming….

Unless you happen to be a member of the Yin Yang Shadows. Like Shadow.

((Hang left – down Russel Street!))

Though he heard the voice of his partner, Light, no words were spoken. Such was a benefit of their coveted mind link. No sound meant less chance of being detected.

(((Where is it going?))) That was Basset, Shadow and Light's cousin. The trio were currently swinging on Shadowropes through the city.

(Doesn't matter) Shadow replied. (Whatever it is, it can't get where it's going!)

((That's bad, because we just lost it!))

Shadow landed on a high roof that overlooked most of the city, extending his senses. Being the reincarnation of a Pharaoh also had benefits – like being able to sense the presence of Shadow Creatures at certain distances. Sadly, whatever they were chasing was not in that distance. (Darn it! Either it's gone back into the Shadow Realm or it got too far away!)

Light landed on the roof next to Shadow. ((We can't do anything more tonight. We'd better head back.)) He let a smile cross his masked face. ((Téa will be waiting.))

Shadow huffed, taking one of his Sais and twirling it between his fingers. His leather outfit hugged his skin perfectly, from the leather pants to the muscle jacket. Both garments were decorated with golden studs or symbols. His black gloves covered his hands, allowing the golden claws to peek through at the tips. His mask covered his nose and eyes, but also had two slim slits down the sides of his face, resembling fangs. Light's outfit was similar, but the gold was replaced with silver and his mask was without the fangs. Basset was the same, though she wore a skirt and had a whip instead of Sais.

(((Still no idea why the Shadow Creatures are doing this?))) Basset asked.

(None.) Shadow replied. (In the last few days, there have been more Shadow Creatures emerging than in the last fifty years.)

((Even with Cobrakhan's little party.)) Light added. ((Hard to believe that was only a year ago.))

Shadow sighed. (We need to go. You're right; there isn't anything else we can do tonight.)

With that the three launched Shadowropes and took off, their silhouettes showing in the moonlight.

* * *

**Intermission: Motou Mansion**

* * *

Téa looked up from her book when she heard the familiar thuds of three people dropping through the window, but she wasn't afraid. Standing up, she smiled at Basset and Light as they passed her before approaching Shadow, who smiled back as he removed his mask. His black mane faded, revealing tri-coloured locks that framed the strong face of Atem Motou.

"Any luck?" she asked.

Atem's face fell as he shook his head. "We lost it again. I don't know how, but they get away faster nowadays."

Téa smiled. "Maybe they're catching on that they shouldn't be here."

"That doesn't explain why they appear in the first place." Atem said, walking to sit on the sofa. "There must be something attracting them here, but I can't even find a trace of what or who."

"Maybe you should take a break." Téa said, sitting next to him and rubbing his back soothingly. "You've been swinging at night for several days. You might be exhausted from the work."

Atem sighed. "I can't. We need to keep on top of this."

Téa slapped his shoulder. "You'll end up collapsing, you know."

"She's right," the two looked up to see an old man walking up to them, his grey hair still sticking out under his bandana. "You and Yugi are working too hard on this. Simon and I already took you both out of school for home-studies because you fall asleep during class. You both need a break."

Atem let out another sigh. "I know, grandpa. But it's the weekend, so Yugi and I don't need to study, so we can both sleep in… please?"

Solomon smiled. "Alright. Now, let's get some food in you."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a dark and cold void, a low laugh echoed throughout.

"Soon, pharaoh…. You'll meet your end…."

* * *

**Pharaohyamifan: There it is, chapter One all up!**

**Shadow: Ooookay. So where's the villian? The action! Come on, I'm a superhero!**

**Pharaohyamifan: Keep your pants on! I'm getting there! Besides, I don't want to give too much away.**

**Shadow: Fine, fine, but hurry up. The readers have been waiting a while, and more people put the prequal in their favourates and alerts while they were waiting for you to get your head out of the clouds and write!**

**Pharaohyamifan: Okay. Now, for the readers, I need a little help. I have the general idea for the layout of this fic, but I've got some gaps between things. I would really appreciate some ideas, and I'll let you know by personal message if they fit in with my plans.**

**Shadow: Sooo, for anyone who wants to put in their 2c worth, just put it in your review - for those who don't know, it's the little button at the bottom of this page.**

**Light: Uh... they should all know, you know.**

**Shadow: (Shrugs) Just being safe, partner. Now, let's go. I gotta get ready for when the action come along (walks off)**

**Light: Which is gonna be next chapter, by the way! (runs after Shadow)**

**Pharaohyamifan: Okay... Please leave opinions. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2: First Stolen Treasure

**Pharaohyamifan: Here with chapter two!**

**Shadow: Hey, hold on... It's been like, a few days since you put this story up and you 're updating it now? Hell must have frozen over!**

**Pharaohyamifan: Whatever! This is a long chapter, so go ahead and enjoy!**

**Shadow: Pharaohyamifan hereby disclaims ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh. The charactors are not hers, she's just borrowing them like all the other authors here. The rating has also gone up from k+ to T just to be safe. The alias' Shadow, Light, Basset and all the other made up heroes or villians are hers, however. Yada yada, let's get on with it!**

**

* * *

****Chapter Two: The First Stolen Treasure**

Atem rolled over in his sleep, his face in a frown. Whatever dream he was having, it wasn't pleasant.

_Kuriboh jumped around, squeaking playfully as Prince Yugi chased it round the courtyard. His brother, Prince Atem was sat on the steps to one side, watching them with a smile on his face._

_Suddenly, the Kuriboh stopped and looked towards the palace wall, looking afraid._

_Atem stood and ran over to the pair, watching the wall as well. All seemed peaceful for a few moments, then…_

_CRASH!_

_The wall burst into rubble, pieces of it flying across the courtyard. Atem and Yugi shielded their eyes from debris before they looked… only to have both pairs of eyes widen at the sight._

_A creature had broken through the wall, towering over them with large wings and an evil aura, but most of it was in shadows. Below it, a person was stood grinning at them._

"_Pharaoh…. Your whole family will suffer for what you've done…."_

_Atem tried to move, but found that he couldn't. The new arrival unsheathed a dagger, twirling it around his fingers, before he threw it at them._

_Not them… Yugi!_

"NO!"

Atem had screamed the word as he sat up in his bed. Téa had had to go home that night, leaving him alone in bed, so there was no one to wake up. The young man trembled as he looked at his shaking hands, beads of cold sweat dotting his face and chest. Slowly he crawled out of bed and put on a pair of sweatpants before stumbling out of the room and down the hall. He made his way to another door and opened it, peeking into the room. The darkness didn't reveal much, just the lump in the bed indicating that his brother had not been woken by his scream. Atem wanted to leave him to sleep, but his shaking wouldn't stop and he was… scared.

(Y-Yugi?) He called into the link, entering the room and wondering over to the bed. The lump on the bed shifted, but didn't respond. (Yugi, wake up….)

"Mmm-huh?" bedraggled tri-coloured hair poked out of the covers as its owner looked around the room blearily. "Atem…? What is it?"

Atem couldn't trust his voice to stay steady, so he kept talking in the link. (Is it okay if… can I stay here?)

At first there was barely a reaction, but as Yugi woke himself up he could finally see the state his brother was in. He got out of the bed and to the elder twin, taking his arm. "Atem, are you alright? You're shaking, what's the matter?"

(I… had a bad dream….) Atem explained, trying to calm his shaking.

"It must have been bad for it to make you like this." Yugi said, leading Atem to the bed and gently helping him onto it. ((You haven't asked to sleep in my bed since you solved the puzzle, and that was because you were scared.))

Atem shivered. (I… I think I am scared…. That dream….)

((What happened?)) Yugi allowed Atem to send him the images before he frowned at what he saw. ((Oh. How come I can't make out the monster, or its owner?))

(I couldn't see them, either….) Atem replied as he laid down, followed by his brother. (But he seemed powerful… and vengeful. Something about this person has me scared witless, then and now.)

Yugi wrapped his arms around Atem's waist from behind, trying to offer comfort. ((Whoever they are, they're dead now, so there's nothing to worry about.))

Atem's mind was drifting off to sleep, but he was able to give a response before he settled. (For some reason… that doesn't relax me….)

* * *

**Pharayamifan: By the way, this is Not Yoai! Atem is just a little frightened and needs some comfort from his brother. I'm not against Yoai, it's just not in this story.**

* * *

Téa sighed as she entered the college. It wasn't so great now that Yugi and Atem had been taken out to be home-schooled, but she knew that it was only way they'd get anything done. Simon knew their alias, so he wouldn't give them detention for not doing homework or falling asleep in class.

"Hey, Téa!" A Brooklyn-accented voice made her turn around, to see two of her friends, Joey and Tristan running up to her. She smiled as they reached her.

"What's up?" She asked.

Joey paused to catch his breath before he straightened. "There are a couple of new guys comin' here! Like Atem an' Yugi remember?"

Téa blinked. "Really? Well, where are they?"

"They're gonna be in assembly soon, so let's get goin'!" Tristan said, turning to leave, but instead he walked into someone. "Oh, sorry, man, I–"

"Hey, watch where you're going, loser!"

Tristan's apology had been stopped by a rude, British accent. Looking, Joey and Téa saw a young man with long, white hair and dark brown eyes, which were currently glaring at him. Beside the man was another, kinder looking man that was surely the former's brother. He had the same white hair, but his eyes were softer.

Tristan seethed slightly. "Loser?! You shouldn't have been standing there!"

The first male growled. "I don't see a 'no standing zone' around here, do you?!"

"Bakura!" the kinder-looking man said, putting his hand on the other's shoulder. "Don't start a fight, not now."

There were a few long seconds of silence among them, and then the man dubbed 'Bakura' scowled and turned away. "Fine."

As he walked off, the other man sighed before facing them. "Sorry about that. He's got a bit of a short fuse."

Joey clamped his hand on Tristan's shoulder to stop him from making a comment. "No prob! You guys the newbies?"

"Yes," the man said, bowing slightly. "I'm Ryou, and that was my brother, Bakura. We just transferred here."

"The name's Joey, and this is Tristan," He patted the captured shoulder before inclining his head toward Téa. "And this is Téa. We can show you around later, if you like."

"We don't need help." Bakura had returned, still glaring. "The principal already gave us the luxury tour."

"Oh." Téa said. "Well, um…. If either of you need any help, you can ask us."

Bakura huffed as he grabbed Ryou by the arm, gently but insistent. "Whatever. Come on, shrimp, we gotta go."

Joey watched them leave before looking at Téa. "Guess Atem and Yugi were the easy ones, huh?"

"What!?" They looked, to find that Bakura had apparently heard them and had rushed back to them. "Did you just say Atem and Yugi? The Motou twins?"

"Uh… yeah. Why?" Tristan asked suspiciously. "You know them?"

Bakura suddenly seemed uncaring then. "Yeah, but not well. Later."

As he walked off, Ryou paused before facing them. "Um… I know this is gonna sound weird, but…. Can you guys not tell Atem or Yugi that we're here?"

"Huh?" Joey asked. "Why not?"

"Well…" Ryou said, fumbling with his hands. "Um…. Let's just say that it wouldn't be a good time to tell them right now."

Tristan squinted at him. "You aren't gonna do something bad to them, are you?"

Ryou looked up at him in surprise. "No! No, not at all! We're just… um…."

"It's okay," Téa said, stepping in. "You don't have to tell us what's up. As long as you mean well, we won't tell, okay?"

"Okay," Ryou said just before he heard Bakura calling him. "Gotta go. See you later."

As he walked off to find his brother, Joey turned to face Téa. "You outta your mind? Atem and Yugi will freak when they find out and know we didn't tell them!"

Téa shook her head. "Look, it's none of our business, right? But here, if it looks like something bad is going on, I'll tell Atem myself."

"…. Okay, deal." Joey and Tristan said.

* * *

Téa pressed the call button on the gate of the Motou Mansion. She'd just finished college and was meeting Atem at his home, but her mind was on other things. Out of all her classes, she'd had Bakura in one of them. All he'd done was balance a pencil on his finger and whistle throughout the class. When the teacher had asked him to be quiet, he'd stabbed his desk with the pencil before walking out of the room. An hour later, students found one of the public bathrooms completely wrecked. No one knew what had happened, but for some reason Téa suspected Bakura. The only problem was explaining how he had trashed the whole room - all the cubicles had been ripped out.

The gates opened and she walked up the long drive to the mansion, where Simon had opened the door for her. Smiling her thanks, she followed him to the lounge where Atem and Yugi were going over notebooks.

"You guys still studying?" She asked with a smile.

Atem looked up at her voice, matching her smile as he stood and greeted her with a hug. Téa frowned; Atem seemed to be distracted, even though she could tell that he was trying to hide it.

Yugi noticed her expression. "He had a really bad dream last night. He's still a little shaky."

Téa pulled back to look at Atem. "A vision?"

"I think so," He replied solemnly, his ploy falling now that he'd been found out. "Me and Yugi were attacked by someone with a Shadow Monster, before I became Pharaoh. I couldn't tell who or what, but I remember feeling very scared back then."

Simon set three cups of tea on the table. "He also said that this mystery attacker had said 'Pharaoh' before attacking them, so he had probably attacked the princes for revenge."

Atem nodded. "Again, I don't know why, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the recent Shadow activity here."

Téa smiled. "Another night out?"

"Yep," Yugi said, closing the notebook. "We gotta check the city in case we find more Shadow Creatures wondering around."

The group fell silent for several minutes while the twins packed away their notebooks, but Atem soon noticed that Téa's mind seemed to be on other things. "Is something wrong?"

Téa looked at him for a moment before she sighed. "There's a new student at college, but he's a rebel. Walked right out of class."

"If he causes any trouble, let me know." Atem said with a smirk. "I'm sure Shadow can change his mind."

"Nah," Téa said. "It's not worth you wasting your time with rebel students. You got Shadow Creatures out there."

Atem nodded, turning back to tidying up.

'Besides, I said I wouldn't tell you about Bakura.' Téa added in her mind.

* * *

((Anything yet?))

Shadow sighed as he launched a Shadowrope to another building, allowing him, Light and Basset to keep swinging above the streets of Domino. (Not yet. But don't drop your guard – you never know when a Shadow Creature can just pop up out of-)

He didn't get to finish his reply when something swept across his path, nearly knocking him flying in the process.

(What was that?) He called as he righted himself skilfully. He then looked in the direction the thing was going, only to have his eyes widen in shock. (Oh, my….)

Any person with half a brain would know that a horse couldn't fly – unless it was a Pegasus – but in this case, Shadow knew that was very possible. There was indeed a horse ahead of them, galloping as swiftly as it would if it was on solid ground. But it certainly didn't look like a normal horse. It was half wrapped in linen wrappings that would remind one of Ancient Egypt, but what parts were exposed was engulfed in blue flames, like the animal was made of them.

(((That's Nightmare Horse!))) Basset said.

Shadow launched another Shadowrope to follow the creature. (It's a low-level monster, so we should be able to follow it.)

With that the three of them tailed the Horse, which didn't seem to notice or care that they were following it. After a good ten minutes if what seemed to be aimless flying, the Horse finally turned and headed down toward the streets of Domino.

((Where is it going now?)) Light asked. ((The other Shadow Creatures we've tailed haven't done that before.))

Shadow growled. (I don't know, but we have to stop it before it hurts someone.)

They swung low, trying to cut off the Shadow Creature's path, but it swerved out of their way. It then landed on the running, galloping down the street. Shadow and Light dropped to the ground and followed it while Basset stayed in the air in case it tried a getaway.

Turning a corner, Shadow and Light suddenly stopped and stared. ((What in the world….))

The Horse had stopped, but what puzzled the pair was that it was staring in the window of a jewellery store. It seemed to be looking for something in the window, moving to the second window as well.

((Okay, either it's trying to shop even though the store is closed….)) Light began. ((Or it's looking for something on behalf of someone else.))

Shadow looked at him. (But who? Cobrakhan is long gone and Zork is sealed away, so who would send a Nightmare Horse for jewellery?)

He didn't get an answer, because the Horse had reared up and smashed its head through the window. After rooting around, it pulled back with something in its mouth. Shadow and Light only just caught a glimpse of something pink in its mouth before it took off at full gallop.

((What did it take?)) Light asked as they took off after it.

(I didn't get a good look.) Shadow replied. (But we've got to get it back!)

As the Nightmare Horse jumped into the sky, Shadow and Light followed, launching Shadowropes to keep up. The Horse still didn't seem to care. Basset joined them moments later.

(((Guys, watch out,))) she warned. (((There's a presence nearby that's giving me the creeps up here!)))

Shadow launched another Shadowrope, but this time at the Nightmare Horse. It caught the creature in the flank, though it still didn't react. Shadow climbed up the rope toward the monster, but before he could get close enough to reach whatever was in the Horse's mouth, a swirl of Shadows appeared above the horse, fading to reveal that a rider had landed and was riding the Horse. "What the-?"

"Funny seeing you here," the rider said with a laugh. "This was the last place I'd expected you to be."

Before Shadow could question the person, who couldn't be seen properly given the Shadows that were still swirling, the person swept a hand through his Shadowrope, snapping it. Shadow fell, watching as the Nightmare Horse and its rider vanished in another wave of Shadows, before he felt a Shadowrope attach itself to him. Looking up, he saw that Light had saved him, and then he picked up his own pace to rejoin his comrades.

(((What happened?))) Basset asked. (((Who was that?)))

(I….) Shadow seemed speechless. (…I don't know….)

* * *

"So that's what he took?"

It was the next morning, and Atem and Yugi were stood to either side of Simon, who was sat at the dining table with a newspaper. Téa was sat on the other side of the table, drinking tea. The newspaper the boys were so engrossed in had a front page that caught their attention instantly:

RARE JEWEL STOLEN IN NIGHT

Along with the header, there was a picture of the said stolen jewel. It was the same size and shape as a heart, with a pink colour that would remind one of pink lemonade, and right in the middle was an etching of what looked like a set of Egyptian symbols.

Simon squinted slightly at the picture before he handed the paper to Atem. "Can you see what the symbols mean? My eyesight isn't as good as it used to be,"

Atem looked closely at the paper, trailing a finger over each of the symbols; a folded cloth, a vulture, a hand, a squiggly line that represented water, a reed flower and two more folded cloths. "The symbols make up a word…. It's sadness."

"Sadness?" Yugi repeated, puzzled. "Why would the word sadness be etched onto a big jewel?"

Simon leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "You know, it sort of rings a bell about an old legend I heard about when I was younger…."

"It does?" Tea asked. "What legend?"

"At the moment I can't quite recall." Simon said with a sigh. "But I can go through my old journals and see if I can jog my memory."

Atem sighed as well. "Well, we don't know who this new guy is, but he definitely has Shadow powers."

"We could try to–"

"Damn it!"

Yugi had stopped mid-sentence when Amy's voice shouted from across the room. She was stood tense and seething, holding a letter in one hand and an empty envelope in the other. "What is it, Amy?"

The young woman looked at him, her blue eyes shining in anger. "Great uncle Akua is coming!"

Atem and Yugi groaned loudly as they spoke in unison. "Anyone but him!"

Téa blinked, puzzled. "Who?"

Simon smiled at her. "Yugi, Atem and Amy have a great uncle called Akua. He wasn't the best uncle in the world."

"That is an understatement!" Yugi cried. "He thinks he knows what we should do with our lives! Get this; he wanted us to become lawyers! Lawyers! Can you see me defending someone in court?"

Atem shivered. "He knows we don't like him, but he waves it off saying we have to love him because we're related. Gods, wait until he hears that we're taking home courses for college – we'll never hear the end of it!"

Yugi dropped to his knees. "Please, can we go to Australia?"

"Why would you want to go there?" Simon asked.

"Because Uncle Akua won't be there."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad." Téa said. "After all, this is your home."

Atem huffed. "That doesn't matter. He'll still go around like he owns the place. He'll tell us how we should be living, what we should be doing, what we should be eating…"

"How we should breathe, who we can talk to, etcetera," Yugi added. "He'll try – and fail – to lead our lives. And make us suffer while doing it."

Téa looked at them, a thought coming to her mind. "Does he know that you guys are the Yin Yang Shadows?"

"No, thank goodness." Atem said. "Only a few people outside this room know our secret. If he found out, he'd probably tell us how to save the world."

"Well, anyway," Simon said, standing up. "You'd better get off to college, Téa. Atem can give you a lift."

* * *

"Man, I'm sorry they gotta go through that," Joey said, commenting on Téa's explanation of the Motous' predicament – leaving out their secret. "My dad used ta tell me what I should be doin', but not anymore."

Téa smiled before she looked over at Kaiba, who was currently tapping away at his laptop. "What are you doing?"

"I'm researching the Yin Yang Shadows." He replied.

"…. What for?" Téa asked.

Kaiba looked over the screen at her. "I'm seeing if I can find out who they are."

"What?" Téa, Tristan and Joey said in shock.

"That's right." Kaiba said. "But so far, it's not going well. There aren't that many clues to them or their work, so it's difficult to pin them down."

Téa mentally sighed in relief. "They're good guys, right? So why not just leave it at that? I'm sure if they wanted everyone to know who they were, they'd show their true identities to the world. And besides, if people knew who they were, the people they love could get into trouble."

"She's got a point," Joey said. "If I was a superhero, I wouldn't want people knowing who I really am."

Kaiba glanced at him before closing his laptop and standing. "Well, I doubt it's you anyway."

With that he walked out of the room, Joey growling quietly. Once he entered the hall, he pulled out his cell phone and pressed a few numbers. A few rings later and a deep, baritone voice answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Atem, this is Kaiba."

"_Kaiba? How did you get this number?"_

"That's not important. What is important is that I need to speak with you personally. How long will it take you to get to the college?"

Atem sighed. _"I'm in the middle of a lesson, Kaiba. Unlike you, I don't walk out for business reasons."_

"Then I'll come to you. I'll see you in ten minutes." He hung up before he got a reply, and then he walked down the hall and out of the college, getting into his car and driving off to the mansion. Exactly ten minutes later he arrived at the gates and was let in, and was soon led to the lounge where Atem was waiting.

"So what did you want, Kaiba?" Atem asked. "I am a little busy."

Kaiba sat down on the chair, crossing one leg over the other as he watched the other carefully. "What do you know about the Yin Yang Shadows?"

Of all the things Kaiba could want to talk about, Atem hadn't been expecting that. "Only what I've seen in the papers. Why do you ask?"

"I've been doing a little research on their background, and I've found that they have origins in Egypt. Since you are from Egypt, I figured you'd know something."

Atem shrugged. "All I know is that they go around helping people. They did the same thing in Egypt, too."

Kaiba nodded. "And then they came here. I think it was because of those stone tablets that were brought here a year ago – the ones that crumbled."

Atem felt the Egyptian God monsters stir within his soul at the mention of their former resting places. "I suppose so. But that doesn't explain why you've come to me about this."

"You are as well financed as I am," Kaiba said evenly. "As much as I hate to admit it, I could use an extra researcher here. So what do you say?"

"You want me to help you unmask the Yin Yang Shadows?" Atem said, getting a nod in response. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kaiba, but I'll have to decline. If they want to remain masked heroes, then I see no reason to unmask them."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at him, but stood up, extending his hand. "If you change your mind, you know where you can find me."

Atem stood as well and accepted the handshake… but froze when a vision crossed his mind at the touch.

"_You don't have to watch me every second, you know, Priest."_

"_I am responsible of making sure you are safe, my prince. I must protect you at all times."_

"_Can't I even bathe myself in peace anymore?"_

"_As you know, he could strike at any time. Besides, I look away when you bathe."_

"_If you weren't my cousin I would cut out your tongue for being in the bathing chambers."_

"_If you say so, prince."_

Atem blinked as the vision faded, realising that Kaiba didn't seem to notice his sudden spacing out. Releasing the other man's hand, he stepped back. "I'll see you to the door."

"Don't worry," Kaiba said. "I know the way out. You look pale, so you should lay down for a while."

With that he left, leaving Atem to his thoughts. After he was sure that Kaiba had left the building, he slowly sat down on the couch and drew his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them with a thoughtful look on his face. He had recognised the voices in his vision; one was his while the other was undoubtedly Kaiba. But did that mean that Kaiba had a previous life like him?

He let out a sigh as he stood again, walking over to the window and gazing out of it, his crimson eyes not actually looking at the view, but revealing that his mind was on further things.

**Pharaohyamifan: There you have it! It's 1am, my wrist is sore and I'm gonna sleep now. Please read and review with what you think of it!**


	3. Chapter 3: New Leads?

**Pharaohyamifan: Okay, I've just found out that I have made this very complicated by calling Akua Atem's great uncle. Just for those who aren't good at relations, if you had a great uncle he would be you mother/father's uncle first. Luckily, this little twist hasn't forced me to change my idea for this fic, so that's a relief.**

**Anyways, I just realised how long ago it was that I last updated – TWO YEARS AGO! I was like WTF!**

**I want to take a moment to thank everyone who's not only faved this, but have been staying alert as to updates. I honestly didn't expect people who have been here since the Yin Yang Shadows arc began would still be interested, never mind ask me to update.**

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Chapter Three:

"So your great uncle is a little bossy," Téa said from where she was sat on Atem's bed. "It can't be that bad."

Atem looked at her like she'd said Zork was returning. "Trust me; Great Uncle Akua is that bad. Once he tried to separate Yugi and me, saying that we spent too much time together. My parents didn't allow it, though."

Téa frowned. "Ah. Now I see why you don't like him."

"There's more." Atem said, sitting on the bed beside her. "When our parents died, he wanted to take custody of us. We knew that he wanted our inheritance more than us, and Grandpa and he fought for months before the decision was made, and then he backed off. Now he pops up every now and again to try to sway us."

"I take it he's not doing well financially." Téa said.

Atem shook his head. "No, the opposite. He's quite well off, but he doesn't think Yugi and I deserve our parents' inheritance."

"Well, you guys do deserve it," Téa said, patting his shoulder. "You've done too much to not deserve it. He just doesn't know."

"That's a plus." Atem said sincerely. "I'd hate it if he knew our identities. Like I said before, he'd most likely go around telling us how we should we doing our jobs."

Téa laughed before she placed her hand on Atem's bicep. "Well…. How about I help take your mind off that…."

"Hey guys!" Yugi called through the bedroom door, knocking at the same time.

Atem groaned. "Can't we have five minutes' peace in my own room?"

Yugi opened the door a little, peeking before he looked properly. "No. Simon wants us in the library. He says he might have something on that jewel."

"Come on," Téa said as she stood up, pulling Atem with her, before she leaned to whisper in his ear "We'll finish later."

Atem couldn't help a grin at the subtle message, and followed her and Yugi out of his room and down the long hall, into the large library. Simon was already there, looking at some old pieces of paper. "So what's up?"

Simon smiled at them as they approached. "I found some of my old notes from when I went on expeditions with your grandfather."

"Hey, where is gramps anyway?" Yugi asked.

Atem lightly slapped him round the back of his head. "He went to visit an old friend, remember? He may be old, but he still has them."

"Well, in any case," Simon said. "On one of our expeditions, we found a piece of a stone tablet that depicted what is known as the Legend of Heartstones."

Téa blinked. "Heartstones? Isn't that the jewel that was stolen?"

Simon nodded. "Yes. It's one of seven rare Heartstones. Each jewel represents a part of this world. That's why the word 'sadness' was etched onto the jewel – it's the Heartstone of Sadness. With each jewel, a different word is etched onto them, along with a particular emotion."

"So what emotions do the other stones have?" Téa asked.

"Sadly, I don't know." Simon admitted. "All we could get from the tablet fragment was that there were seven, and they each represented an emotion. We don't even know what the stones do, on their own or together."

Yugi straightened. "Well, if our new friend wanted the Heartstone of Sadness, he must want the others too. So whatever they can do, we can't let this guy do it."

"But we don't know who he is." Atem said, scowling. "This is getting to be just like Cobrakhan all over again."

Simon smiled. "Well, at least this new foe doesn't know who you are."

At this Atem's face fell even more. "I'm not so sure…."

"What?" Yugi asked.

"He seemed to know me," Atem said, making the group look at him in surprise. "He said that he didn't expect to see me there, so he knows me…."

Téa put her hand on his shoulder. "He would have come here, wouldn't he? If he knew who you really were."

Atem sighed. "I don't think he knows my true identity, but I hope not. I don't want another fiasco like we had with Cobrakhan."

"Well, we only need to worry about that when it happens." Simon said as he stood. "Now, how about you all go out? You're still young; you shouldn't be cooped up in here all day."

Yugi smiled as he turned to face the door. "Let's go to the arcade!"

**Time Break – 2 hours later**

"I win again!" Yugi cheered from where he was sat in a racing game chair in the arcade. Joey was sat in the opposing chair, looking glum. Atem and Téa were watching with smiles on their faces.

"What are you, the King of Games?" Joey said, frowning.

Yugi paused. "No, that's Atem's nickname. I'm more familiar with the term 'Prince of Games'. He's better than I am, and that's saying something."

Atem smiled. "Up for a round with me, Joey?"

Joey sat up, waving his hands in surrender. "No thanks. I gotta go, anyway."

Suddenly, Atem's cell phone rang, interrupting any reply. Atem took it out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" He answered. A second later he frowned. "Oh, it's you…. Yes, we knew you were coming, we got the letter…. We'll be home soon, anyway, so don't lose your hair…. Yes. Goodbye."

Yugi frowned as he watched his brother put the phone away. "It was him, wasn't it?"

Atem huffed. "Who else?"

"Wait, who?" Joey asked, looking confused.

"Our great uncle." Yugi said, sarcastically sounding excited. "He's coming over to spend a few days with us. I bet he's gonna start another 'you guys have to do this' speech."

"If he does, I'm getting out." Atem said, sitting down on a stool. "I don't want a repeat of what happened before."

Téa looked puzzled. "What happened?"

Yugi looked at her. "Once our uncle tried to split us up, as Atem may have told you. I was too shy at the time, but Atem fought back. All he got was a backhand across the face for his troubles."

"Oh, that's awful." Téa said, patting Atem's shoulder.

Atem smiled. "Hey, I had to stand up to him. If I hadn't, Yugi and I would be on opposite sides of the world right now."

"It was thanks to that backhand that made child services realise that our uncle was not a good choice to leave us with." Yugi said. "So Grandpa got custody of us."

"Unfortunately, Akua was allowed to be near us as long as grandpa was there." Atem said with a sigh. "But that stopped when we turned 18. After that he just pops up whenever he feels like it."

"Man, that's rough." Joey said.

Yugi gave him a look. "You don't know the half of it! I still think we should go to Australia!"

Atem's phone started ringing again, prompting Atem to groan as he fished it out and answered again. "Now what do you want? …. Oh, sorry, Simon, I thought you were him…. Yes, Yugi and I are in town… oh? Okay, we'll be there." Hanging up the phone, he looked at Yugi. "Remind me to actually look at the caller ID before answering the phone like that."

"What was that about?" Joey asked.

"That was Simon," Atem sighed. "We gotta go, sorry."

Joey shrugged. "You guys have stuff to do, it's alright. See ya later."

Waving, Yugi and Atem walked out of the arcade, soon followed by Téa. "Okay, guys, what's going on?"

Atem checked their surroundings before he spoke. "Simon wants us to check out a jewellery store downtown… he thinks they may have one of the Heartstones."

Téa nodded. "I'm coming too."

"But what if whoever stole the first one comes looking?" Yugi asked. "You could get hurt."

"I was there when the city hall fell down, remember?" Téa said, frowning. "I can take care of myself."

Atem smirked. "So how come we found you hanging from a railing screaming for your life?" All he got was a smack on the shoulder in reply. "Okay, okay! You can come, just stop smacking me!"

Téa have a triumphant smirk while Yugi just rolled his eyes. "Come on, lovebirds. We may as well get to that jewellery store."

The three of them walked while chatting about random gossip when the jewellery store soon came into view. It wasn't the same one that was robbed the night before – that one was on the other side of town – but it looked about as expensive. Yugi ran over to the window display and looked carefully before turning to them.

"Nothing there. Just rings and necklaces." He said.

Atem nodded. "We need to be careful how we go about this. If we simply ask about it they may get suspicious. The last thing we need is to be accused of the first theft."

"I said we're looking for a clear, heart-shaped crystal!"

The three of them froze at the sound of a voice yelling inside the store. Téa had frozen because of the yelling itself, but Atem and Yugi had frozen in recognition.

"No way…" Yugi murmured. "It couldn't be…."

"I hope not…." Atem added as he pushed open the door and stepped in, followed by the others. Once they saw the sight they all stopped and stared.

There, standing at the counter, was Bakura and Ryou, the former looking very irritated.

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End of chapter! Joking!

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"B-Bakura!" Atem sputtered. The male stopped his ranting and turned to face him.

"Oh, great…."

Atem's surprise quickly turned to anger. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We aren't banned from this country, you know!" Bakura snapped.

Ryou sighed before he stepped forward. "Hi, Yugi. Sorry to meet again under these circumstances."

"What are you guys doing here?" Yugi asked. "I thought you were staying in Egypt with your dad."

At that, Ryou looked a little upset. "Well, umm…. Our dad… he…."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "He up and died."

Atem blinked, shocked. "Died? I'm so–"

"Save it." Bakura snapped. "I know you couldn't care less about us."

"I care about Ryou, but you can jump off a bridge for all I care!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Yugi cut in, seeing a fight about to start between Atem and Bakura. "This is no place to start a fight."

There was a tense pause, and then Atem stood back. "Fine. Now, what happened with your dad?"

Ryou shrugged. "He was on an excavation site. But then about a week ago, we got news that he died. But… thing is, they don't know why he died."

"They don't?" Yugi asked. "But, surely they have some clue."

"Like you said, this isn't the place for it." Bakura said, turning to face the man behind the counter again. "Now, do you have a Heartstone or not?"

The man shook his head. "I've never heard of it, I swear."

Bakura growled. "This is a dead end. Let's go."

"Why do you want the Heartstone?" Atem demanded, glaring.

"That's our business," Bakura snapped back, walking out of the store. Ryou smiled faintly at them before he followed.

Yugi growled. "What the heck are they doing here?"

"Obviously looking for trouble." Atem replied. "Let's go. We have to get back and tell Simon that this was a dead end."

The three of them left the store, walking down the street. Téa moved to walk beside Atem.

"So you guys know those two?" She asked, though she knew the answer.

Atem nodded. "Yeah. Ryou isn't so bad. It's Bakura you have to watch. He's known for doing bad things."

"They even nicknamed him 'the King of Thieves' in Egypt," Yugi added as they passed the arcade.

"Trust me, there was rarely a time where he couldn't sneak in or steal something from someone." Atem said. "If they're here, then Bakura might be the one after the Heartstones…. But I've never seen him summon Shadow Monsters before."

Téa blinked, puzzled. "Well, maybe it's new. Something he can do now that he couldn't before."

"Who knows," Yugi said, shrugging. "Let's get to the car and go home. I'm tired."

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"So the Heartstone wasn't there?" Simon asked.

Yugi and Atem shook their heads in unison.

Simon sighed. "Okay, so we have no leads so far."

"What about Bakura and Ryou?" Yugi asked before pausing. "Well, mainly Bakura."

Atem looked at him. "Bakura has always been a trouble maker, and he was looking for the Heartstone too. We heard him."

Again Simon sighed. "We'll keep an eye on them. I believe you two should stay home tonight."

"But why?" Atem asked. "Another stone could get stolen, we have to patrol."

Before anyone could reply, the doorbell rang. Amy, who had been sat quietly listening the whole time, got up to answer it. A few minutes later and there was a loud, booming voice.

"Where are my great nephews?"

"That's why," was all Simon said.

Atem and Yugi groaned out loud, sharing one thought. _Great._

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**So there we have it! Chapter 3 all up and running! Sorry for the wait, everyone!**

**The next chapter is in progress, but sadly since I havent been feeling as motivated to update this one as I used to, it'll be a while before I can post it. I thank all of you again for sticking by and patiently waiting, and I hope to hear some good reviews ^^**


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